Roache wife's death natural causes

The wife of Coronation Street star Bill Roache died of natural causes as a result of a heart condition, a coroner's office said.

Sara Roache, 58, died at the couple's home in Wilmslow, Cheshire, last February.

Her 77-year-old husband has played Ken Barlow in the ITV1 soap since its first episode in December 1960.

The couple, who were described as inseparable, had been married for 30 years and had two grown up children.

A spokeswoman for the Cheshire Coroner's office said an inquest into the death was held on November 5. She said the coroner heard the cause of death was cardiac arrhythmia and recorded a verdict of natural causes.

According to the charity Arrhythmia Alliance, the condition causes the heart to beat either too fast or too slow. The organisation said it affects about two million people in the UK.

Actress Mrs Roache was a well known charity fundraiser and dedicated her time and effort to many good causes.

Following her death Mr Roache paid an emotional tribute to his "perfect wife" at a packed memorial service attended by family and friends, including a host of Coronation Street stars. He recalled meeting the "beautiful, vibrant girl" 35 years ago, saying she became a perfect wife and mother to their children Verity and Will.

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He said: "She did everything. She dressed us, she fed us, she made the house beautiful. She paid the bills, she taxed the cars. She jokingly said to me some time ago, 'if I go before you, you wouldn't have a clue what to do, would you?'.

"How right she was. But it wasn't just that, and being the loving wife and mother, she really was my best friend."

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